National Youth Strategy
Debate between Baroness Twycross and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
For the purposes of brevity, I shall just say yes.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, as there are a few moments left, may I ask the Minister about something that her right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology said which has been reported in the papers today? He said that he was open-minded about a ban on under 16 year-olds being on social media. His statement made a big play about the injurious effects of social media on young people, saying that they are at the sharp end of a revolution in social media. Is that under active consideration by the Government? How does the Minister think that tallies with their commitment to give 16 year-olds the vote? Will they be able to exercise their democratic rights at 16 if they have not had the opportunity to engage with political debate and political discourse on social media, as they presently can?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The noble Lord makes an interesting point, particularly about votes at 16. I neglected to respond to the noble Baroness’s point on that subject. We anticipate, and plan to introduce, votes at 16 before the next election, when parliamentary time allows. We are exploring all the issues in relation to social media and so forth, and I will write to him with a fuller response on that.
Budget: Arts, Heritage and Cultural Organisations
Debate between Baroness Twycross and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
Okay—I will carry on until I am cut off.
The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans, the noble Baroness, Lady Fleet, and the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, among others, raised the issue of national insurance contributions. I know that the announcement of an increase in the rate of employers’ national insurance contributions has caused some concern across these sectors. Officials from my department have spoken with a number of major cultural organisations to understand how it will impact them.
Regarding the cuts to the levelling-up funding for cultural projects, mentioned by the noble Baroness, Lady Sater, and the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, the Chancellor has set out the state of the UK’s spending inheritance from the previous Government—a forecasted overspend of £21.9 billion above limits set by the Treasury in the spring. The MHCLG will consult with potential funding recipients, including funding to some projects related to DCMS-sponsored cultural bodies, before a final decision is made. Recipients will have until mid-December to respond.
This Government are absolutely committed to culture, as we believe is demonstrated by the positive settlement achieved for DCMS at the Autumn Budget. However, to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government had to take some difficult decisions, including increasing the rate of employers’ national insurance.
On the impact to charities in particular, our tax regime, including business rates exemptions, is among the most generous anywhere in the world, with tax reliefs for charities and their donors worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.
The noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, raised the issue of support for the Welsh National Opera, and I am happy to pick that up with him separately outside this debate.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, I sympathise entirely with the Minister; I know what it is like to watch the Clock when there are lots of questions to answer. She kindly offered to write. Will she commit to going through the Official Report and picking up some of the detailed and technical questions that noble Lords raised? I know that we would be grateful.
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
Absolutely—I would be happy to. We are almost out of time, so I again thank the noble Baroness, Lady Sater, for raising the issue and securing this debate. A number of these one-hour debates on Thursday afternoons could be considerably longer. I look forward both to working closely with the sectors and to continuing to provide the support they need.
Olympic and Paralympic Games: Team GB
Debate between Baroness Twycross and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I have the privilege of giving the House a demonstration of how I have moved around the country: I now live near Stoke Mandeville, and Buckinghamshire is the home of the Paralympics. Nobody in your Lordships’ House can be in any doubt of the acute crisis facing the NHS. I recognise the issue that the noble Baroness raises and will speak to my noble friend Lady Merron about it.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, the whole Commonwealth is grateful to Glasgow for stepping in to host the next Commonwealth Games in 2026 and we wish Glasgow every success, as it had in 2014. However, many sporting bodies around the world have expressed concern at the reduction in the number of sports being included—seven fewer than the last time Glasgow played host. Among those that have been cut are diving, part of every Commonwealth Games since 1930; badminton, squash and table tennis, meaning there will be no racquet sports; cricket; hockey; the triathlon, and more. With the Games already billed as low-cost and smaller-scale, how are the Government supporting Glasgow to ensure that the Games are a success and that they too inspire new generations of people in a wide range of sports?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The Commonwealth Games are a clear and key part of the elite pathway in many sports. They are a really important event, which is why the Government have agreed to provide up to £2.3 million of contingency funding to support the safety and security required. We anticipate that Glasgow 2026 will deliver over £100 million of inward investment to the city through the Games. That will support economic and social benefits for Glasgow but also be an inspiration for future generations to come.
Young People: Government Policy
Debate between Baroness Twycross and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The noble Lord correctly identifies that one of the reasons young people do not engage with traditional politics is that we do not engage with them. I will feed back the points he raises but I assume that, as the national youth strategy is going to be co-produced with young people, how politicians communicate with young people, including what resources we need online, will be part of the development of that strategy.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, I am delighted that the noble Baroness and the Government are helping to ensure that people of all ages can play their full part in our democratic processes, but how does she square that with the Government’s proposals to remove people from one of our Houses of Parliament based solely on their age?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The noble Lord might have to wait until that comes up through the legislative process to have a further debate on that point.
Olympics and Paralympics: Competitors in Female Categories
Debate between Baroness Twycross and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I do not believe I have said anything to suggest that we would go against the IOC on this one. In relation to the international governance of boxing, a new international federation, World Boxing, was established in 2022. It now has 42 member national federations, including England, Scotland, Wales and a number of others from our like-minded coalition on the sports issues relating to Russia and Belarus.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, the International Olympic Committee has been very clear that all the women who competed in the female boxing category at this year’s Olympic Games were born as women, lived their whole lives as women and,
“comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations”.
This is not, therefore, a question about trans athletes’ participation in competitive sport. I welcome the approach the Minister has taken. Does she agree that this is, rather, an example of an international governing body regulating its sport independently? Will she join me in sending congratulations to all the men and women who represented their countries at the Olympic Games this summer?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
Absolutely. I wholeheartedly join the noble Lord in congratulating all those who were successful in their respective sports during the summer.